“All those misspent years of Navy service surviving BuMed’s oversight, lovey,” he informed her with a smile. “You either learn to work the system, or you wind up a patient instead of a doctor.”

“Yeah? I just figured it was that authoritarian, aristocratic, feudalistic throwback of a society you grew up in.”

“As opposed to that libertine, lascivious, overstratified and conformist collection of sensualists you grew up with?” he inquired sweetly.

“Of course,” she agreed cheerfully, then made a little moue of regret and sat up straight as a discreet chime sounded. “Dinner is served,” she sighed. “Am I mussed?”

“Not very,” he told her after a brief, critical examination.

“Damn,” she said. “Now Miranda and Mac are going to know we hadn’t even gotten to the good part before they interrupted us. You’re simply going to have to do better than this, Alfred! I do have a reputation to maintain, you know.”

Her husband was still chuckling when they walked into the dining room two minutes later.

Chapter Six

“THANK you for agreeing to see me on such short notice, Reverend.”

“Believe me, Lady Harrington. It is my pleasure to see you at any time, and both I and my office are fully aware of the importance of the work upon which you are engaged. When those factors combine—”

The bald, hook-nosed Reverend and First Elder of the Church of Humanity Unchained tucked Allison’s small hand neatly and possessively into his elbow, smiled, and escorted her across the office. They were on the third floor of Harrington Cathedral which, like every cathedral on the face of Grayson, contained a large, comfortable office suite permanently reserved for the Reverend’s use on his visits to the steading. Now Sullivan seated his visitor in one of the overstuffed armchairs flanking the polished stone coffee table to one side of the desk and ceremonially poured tea. The silver pot flashed in the sunlight streaming through the huge windows which made up one entire wall of the office, and Allison’s nose twitched in surprise as she recognized the aroma rising with the steam. The scent of Sun Plantation Green Tea Number Seven could not be mistaken by anyone who knew their teas, and she was astonished that Sullivan (or someone) had gone to the trouble of discovering her favorite Beowulf blend. It wasn’t hard to obtain in the Star Kingdom, but it was decidedly on the expensive side, and she’d already discovered that it was hard to find on Grayson.

“Do you take sugar, Lady Harrington?” Sullivan inquired, and this time Allison smiled as her host raised his bushy eyebrows in polite question. If he (or someone on his staff, which seemed more likely, now that she thought about it) had taken the pains to determine what blend of tea she preferred, then she had no doubt that he also knew the answer to that question.

“Yes, thank you, Reverend. Two cubes.”

“Of course, My Lady.” He dropped them into the steaming liquid, stirred gently, and then handed her cup and saucer. “And like the tea, My Lady, I assure you that the metals levels in the sugar are as low as anything you might encounter back home in your Star Kingdom.”